Emuna Daily

The following is very deep and I think explains why sometimes we are on such a spiritual high and then soon find ourselves on a spiritual low.

“When a person wishes to enter into the service of God – and this applies to everybody, even one who is on the lowest of levels, even on who is literally ‘in the earth,’ he must at all times advance and rise from level to level.  Now, every time a person is about to move from one level to the next, each in his own way, he has to encounter the full force of the kelipot, the husks, all over again.  These are the desires and fantasies and wild thoughts, the distractions and obstacles which are ranged against a person at every moment and try to prevent him from entering the gates of sanctity.

This often leads to great confusion in the minds of honest people who have truly worked hard on themselves.  Suddenly they find all these old desires, confusions and obstacles rising up against them.  They start thinking that they must have fallen from their level because before this they had had rest from all these desires and confusions.  They lay dormant.  Now that they have reappeared, these people come to think they must have fallen down.  But this is no fall.  What is happening is that the time has come for them to advance from one level to the next, each in his own way.  This is why all the desires and confusions and obstacles – all the ‘crookedness in the heart’ – are stirred up against them with fresh force.  Each time this happens you must fortify yourself and refuse to lose heart.  Strengthen yourself against these forces and break then anew.” ~ R’ Nachman of Breslov in Lekutey Moharan

“When someone insults you, even for no good reason, do not automatically disregard what he says.  Rather, check yourself to see if there is any aspect of truth to what he said, regardless of his intention, and try to learn from it.” ~ R’ Simcha Zissel Ziv zt”l from Torah Tavlin